What wouldn't YOU do in front of your spouse?

How open are you about personal hygiene and bodily functions in front of your husband/wife?

"Doug Lueder and his wife Sam have wildly disparate ideas of what's appropriate to display in front of others, a philosophical difference that literally exploded one night during their courtship: Doug tried to impress Sam by holding a lighter to his backside while passing gas."
This article on CNN.com made me chuckle. To be quite honest, I've been with my DH long enough to become very comfortable--MUCH more comfortable than I ever imagined I'd become. Passing gas, popping zits, peeing with the door open...all things that I never wanted to do in front of Toby, but have become relaxed about.

On one hand, it takes away a bit of the mystery. When we were dating, I just showed up for the date, fresh and lovely. Now my sweetheart sees me pluck my eyebrows, slap on deodorant and paint my face with brushes and makeup in order to be "naturally" fresh and lovely.

On the other hand, our openness is a genuine expression of the intimacy we've achieved in our marriage. We are accustomed to leaving ourselves vulnerable to each other because we have a high level of trust. And that is a beautiful, sacred thing.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hmmm I thought it was common to leave the bathroom door open. Everyone in my house does it ;) In fact, Kolt gets uncomfortable in stalls because he feels trapped. What are we turning him into? So... since hes 2, I leave the door open at walmart when he pees. I think this could be a problem. Maybe we need to shut the door? Anyway, I find it nice to be able to "be yourself" in front of your spouse. There is something nice about that level of comfort with another human being. Something safe even.

Catch Her in the Wry said...

We keep bathroom business private. Once my children no longer needed help, they also got the door closed. We also don't pass gas or belch in anyone's presence, even in front of each other. It's not a lack of intimacy; I just think is a matter of civility.